Cape May Birding Hotline -- November 15th, 2012

This
is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon's Cape
May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, November 15, 2012. Included this week are sightings of RED-NECKED GREBE, CATTLE EGRET, GOLDEN EAGLE, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, RAZORBILL, EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BARN
SWALLOW, CAVE SWALLOW, AMERICAN PIPIT, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SNOW BUNTING, OVENBIRD, TENNESSEE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, CAPE MAY WARBLER, RED CROSSBILL, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, COMMON REDPOLL, and EVENING GROSBEAK.The northern finch invasion continued to steal the spotlight this week. RED CROSSBILL, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL and EVENING GROSBEAK can still be seen on a daily basis from Cape May Point, with the vast majority being fly-overs. The first two COMMON REDPOLLS of the season were noted from the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/15. Perhaps the rarest two birds of the week were a WHITE-WINGED DOVE* that was seen in the area of Yale and Whilldin Avenues in Cape May Point on 11/10 and 11/11, and a BLACK-HEADED GULL that flew past the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/8.

November is prime time for CAVE SWALLOWS, and at least 15were seen from the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/14, with seven still present on 11/15. At least four BARN SWALLOWS and a single NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW continued to linger at Cape May Point through 11/15.

No "big" western rarities have yet been found in the wake of a strong cold front that passed on 11/13, but a number of interesting passerines were still tallied during the previous week. Two WESTERN KINGBIRDS were seen flying past Cape May Point on 11/9. Lingering warblers included a NASHVILLE WARBLER at Cape May Point State Park on 11/12, CAPE MAY and TENNESSEE WARBLERS in Cape May Point on 11/10, and multiple OVENBIRDS around Cape May Point on 11/10.A LAPLAND LONGSPUR flew past the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/9, and 11 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen from the same location on 11/11. A notable 410 AMERICAN PIPITS were on the move over Cape May Point on 11/14.Highlights from the Avalon Seawatch this week included a RAZORBILL and a RED-NECKED GREBE, both on 11/11. Raptor flights have become much lighter, but NORTHERN
GOSHAWKS are still being seen on a near-daily basis around Cape Island.
A GOLDEN EAGLE quickly passed by the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/14. Late CATTLE EGRETS were discovered at Old Robbins Trail (2), Bohm's Sod Farm and the Cape May Airport on 11/12.Finally, Cape May Point's resident EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES*
continued to show regularly in the area of Lincoln, Whilldin and Harvard
Avenues, though one fell prey to a Cooper's Hawk last weekend.

* - denotes
a Review List species in New Jersey, as designated by the New Jersey
Bird Records Committee (NJBRC). Observers are strongly encouraged to
submit documentation of such species to the Committee. Details should be
sent to: report@njbrc.net The
Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon
Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May,
Cumberland and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please
report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736.
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discounts in the stores).Good Luck and Good Birding!